Love!
Today is the fifth Sunday in Lent. Like Judas, we like to complain about God’s generous ways, rather than living in His grace. The poor are always with us, we believe, which justifies our ignoring them. In our memories, we focus on a perceived golden past, and so we ignore the new things done in our midst. We are so enamored with our achievements that we are not willing to throw them away in order to follow Jesus. May our fears turn to faith, our seeds of grief produce a bumper crop of joy, and our tears turn into torrents of tenderness as we journey with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, to Jerusalem. Our Lenten worship series “The Hardest Part” is from author, podcast host, and Associate Professor of American Religious History at Duke Divinity School Kate Bowler. Rev. Ron Bartlow gives today’s sermon “Love!”, with scripture from Isaiah 43:16-21 and John 12:1-8.